Secure certificate distribution

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are various examples of securely distributing certificates to client devices. A uniform resource locator (URL) is sent to a client device, wherein the URL represents an address from which the client device can request a user certificate. A certificate for a registration authority is sent to the client device, wherein the certificate comprises a first public key and a first private key. A certificate signing request (CSR) received from the client device at the URL is decrypted, wherein the CSR is encrypted with the first public key. The CSR is validated based at least in part on the URL sent to the client device. The user certificate is then sent to the client device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Pat. No.9,979,553, entitled “SECURE CERTIFICATE DISTRIBUTION” and filed on Aug.6, 2015, which is incorporated by reference as if set forth herein inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

Historically, digital certificates were installed manually on clientdevices. This installation process often requires intensive input fromnetwork administrators. Accordingly, manual installation and managementof certificates on client devices does not scale well for largeorganizations with numerous devices.

Several protocols exist to simplify and automate installation andmanagement of certificates. These protocols, such as the simplecertificate enrollment protocol (SCEP), allow network users to requesttheir digital certificate electronically and automatically have itinstalled on their client device. However, these protocols suffer from anumber of issues. For example, these protocols are not uniformlysupported by all client devices, nor are these protocols supported byall certificate authorities. Moreover, a number of these protocolssuffer from various security vulnerabilities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood withreference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings arenot necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed uponclearly illustrating the principles of the disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram depicting a networked environmentaccording to various examples of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating one example of functionalityaccording to various examples of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one example of functionalityaccording to various examples of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating one example of functionalityaccording to various examples of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed are various examples of a system for securely distributingcertificates to client devices. The approaches described can beconfigured to work on any device capable of executing the variousapplications described herein. Moreover, these approaches allow forcertificates that have been installed to be revoked, renewed, orotherwise managed. Further, these approaches allow for certificates tobe requested and installed in a manner that prevents maliciousthird-parties from analyzing the network traffic between devices tocovertly obtain unauthorized access to certificates through variousreplay attacks, escalation of privileges attacks, and other approaches.

With reference to FIG. 1, shown is a networked environment 100 accordingto various embodiments. The networked environment 100 includes acomputing environment 103 and a client device 106, which are in datacommunication with each other via a network 109. The network 109includes, for example, the Internet, intranets, extranets, wide areanetworks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wired networks, wirelessnetworks, other suitable networks, or any combination of two or moresuch networks. For example, such networks can comprise satellitenetworks, cable networks, Ethernet networks, and other types ofnetworks.

The computing environment 103 can include, for example, a servercomputer or any other system providing computing capability.Alternatively, the computing environment 103 can employ a plurality ofcomputing devices that can be arranged, for example, in one or moreserver banks or computer banks or other arrangements. Such computingdevices can be located in a single installation or can be distributedamong many different geographical locations. For example, the computingenvironment 103 can include a plurality of computing devices thattogether can include a hosted computing resource, a grid computingresource, or any other distributed computing arrangement. In some cases,the computing environment 103 can correspond to an elastic orvirtualized computing resource where the allotted capacity ofprocessing, network, storage, or other computing-related resources canvary over time.

Various applications or other functionality can be executed in thecomputing environment 103 according to various embodiments. Also,various data is stored in one or more data stores 113 that areaccessible to the computing environment 103. Each of the data stores 113can represent one or more data stores. For example, a certificateauthority root certificate 116, a registration authority certificate119, one or more user certificates 123, one or more one-time password(OTP) lists 126, a device table 129, and potentially other data arestored in the data store 113. The components executed on the computingenvironment 103, for example, can include a management service 133, acertificate authority 136, and other applications, services, processes,systems, engines, or functionality not discussed in detail herein.

The management service 133 can manage and oversee the operation of oneor more client devices 106. In one example, an employer can operate themanagement service 133 to ensure that the client devices 106 of itsemployees are operating in compliance with the security policies. Inanother example, an employer can configure the management service 133 toenforce different policies (or no policies at all) based upon whichusers or employees are currently logged into or otherwise operating theclient device 106. The management service 133 can also facilitate accessto email, calendar data, contact information, and other resourcesprovided by the computing environment 103 or accessible on the clientdevice 106. The management service 133 can also facilitate thetransmission of user certificates 123 to client devices 106, as furtherdescribed below.

The certificate authority 136 can generate or issue certificates, suchas user certificates 123. The certificate authority 136 can alsovalidate previously generated or issued user certificates 123. In someinstances, the certificate authority 136 can be controlled by the sameentity that controls the management service 133. In other instances, thecertificate authority 136 can be controlled by a third party.

The certificate authority (CA) root certificate 116 can represent apublic key infrastructure (PKI) certificate used by the certificateauthority 136 for signing or otherwise validating user certificates 123generated by the certificate authority 136. For example, when thecertificate authority 136 generates a user certificate 123, thecertificate authority can sign the user certificate 123 with a signingkey specified in the CA root certificate 116. By comparing the identityof the signing key with the CA root certificate 116, one could validateor verify that the certificate authority 136 signed and, presumably,generated the user certificate 123.

The registration authority (RA) signing certificate 119 can represent aPKI certificate that specifies the public key used by client devices 106to request a user certificate 123 from the certificate authority 136.Requests for user certificates 123 may be encrypted with the public keyspecified by the RA signing certificate 119. By encrypting a request fora user certificate 123 with the public key specified in the RA signingcertificate 119, the client device 106 can safely assumed that therequest is being sent to an authorized certificate authority 136.

A user certificate 123 can represent a certification that a public keyof an asymmetric encryption key-pair belongs to or is owned by an entityidentified in the user certificate 123. For example, a user certificate123 can certify that a public key identified in the user certificate 123belongs to the client device 106. As another example, a user certificate123 can certify that a public key identified in the user certificate 123belongs to a user associated with a user account. In instances where auser has multiple user accounts, such as different user accounts fordifferent services, a user may have multiple user certificates 123.Similarly, where a user has multiple public keys, such as differentpublic keys to be used for authentication with different services, auser may have multiple user certificates 123.

A one-time password list 126 can represent a list of one-time passwordsused to authenticate the management component 139 executing on theclient device 106 in communications with the management service 133. Aone-time password is a password that is valid for only a single sessionor transaction. Because a one-time password is only used once, aone-time password is immune from replay attacks or other methods wherean attacker attempts to decode a password and use it to gainunauthorized access to a system. Accordingly, a list of one-timepasswords may be kept in the client data store 143 and the data store113, which can assist the management service 133 in verifying anyone-time passwords submitted by the client device 106.

In some instances, one-time passwords can be generated algorithmicallywhen necessary. In these instances, a one-time password list 126 can beomitted or used to provide redundancy. For example, varioustime-synchronization algorithms may be used to generate a one-timepassword when required. Time-synchronization approaches can periodically(e.g. every 30-seconds or every minute) generate a new one-time passwordbased on the current time. These approaches can require that the clockused by the management service 133 be kept synchronized with the clockof the client device 106. As another example, a mathematical algorithmcan be used to generate a new one-time password based on the previouslyused one-time password. Such approaches can create a chain of one-timepasswords, requiring that the one-time passwords be used in sequence.

The device table 129 can represent a mapping of client devices 106 tounique device identifiers 149. In some instances, the device table 129can also include one-time password lists 126 or user certificates 123mapped to a client device 106 or a unique device identifier 149. Thedevice table 129 can, for example, include key-value pairs. Eachkey-value pair can include a unique device identifier 149 as the key anda corresponding client device 106, one-time password list 126, or usercertificate 123 as a value. Queries of the device table 129 that use theunique device identifier 149 can return any user certificates 123 orone-time password lists 126 linked to the unique device identifier 149.

The client device 106 can be representative of a plurality of clientdevices that can be coupled to the network 109. The client device 106can include, for example, a processor-based system such as a computersystem. Such a computer system can be embodied in the form of a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, personal digital assistants, cellulartelephones, smartphones, set-top boxes, music players, web pads, tabletcomputer systems, game consoles, electronic book readers, or otherdevices with like capability. The client device 106 can include adisplay. The display can include, for example, one or more devices suchas liquid crystal display (LCD) displays, gas plasma-based flat paneldisplays, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, electrophoreticink (E ink) displays, LCD projectors, or other types of display devices,etc.

The client device 106 can execute various applications. Theseapplications can, for example, be executed to access network contentserved up by the computing environment 103 or other servers, therebyrendering a user interface on the display. To this end, the variousapplications can include, for example, a browser or a dedicatedapplication, and the user interface can include a network page, anapplication screen, or other user interface.

The client device 106 can also execute a management component 139. Themanagement component can request that one or more user certificates 123be sent to the client device 106 for installation on the client device106. The management component 139 can control or limit access to variousresources of the client device 106 by a current user of the clientdevice 106 or the client application 139. The management component 139can also limit access of the client device 106 to network content. Themanagement component 139 can limit access based at least in part on oneor more policies or other instructions supplied by the managementservice 133 to the management component 139.

The client device 106 can also contain a client data store 143, whichcan store data required for use by the management component 139 or bythe client device 106 to perform other functions. The client data store143 can include a user certificate 123, a one-time password list 126, apublic/private key pair 146 for the client device 106, and a uniquedevice identifier 149 assigned to the client device 106.

The public/private key pair 146 can represent a pair of encryption keysused with asymmetric encryption algorithms (e.g. theRivest-Shamir-Aadleman algorithm or various Elliptic Curve Cryptographyalgorithms). The public/private key pair 146 can be used, for example,to secure communications between the management service 133 and themanagement component 139. In some instances, the public/private key pair146 may be generated by the client device 106 as needed and temporarilystored in the client data store 143 until the public/private key pair146 is no longer required. In other instances, the public/private keypair 146 can be permanently installed on the client device 106.

The unique device identifier 149 can represent a uniquely identifyingbinary number associated with the client device 106 that can distinguishthe client device 106 from other client devices 106. The unique deviceidentifier 149 can, for example, correspond to a 128-bit globally uniqueidentifier (GUID) assigned to the client device 106, a media accesscontrol (MAC) address of a network card installed on the client device106, an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) number,or another identifier. The unique device identifier 149 can be assignedto the client device 106 by the management service 133 or can begenerated by the client device 106 itself.

Next, a general description of the operation of the various componentsof the networked environment 100 is provided. To begin, the managementservice 133 sends a message to the management component 139. The messagecan include a uniform resource locator (URL) to be used by themanagement component 139 for requesting one or more user certificates123. The message can also include a unique device identifier 149assigned to the client device 106.

The management component 139 can subsequently request that themanagement service 133 provide one or more user certificates 123. Torequest the user certificate 123, the management component 139 can senda request to the URL previously provided by the management service 133.The request can also include the unique device identifier 149 of theclient device 106, if one were previously provided by the managementservice 133. In some instances, the request can also include a one-timepassword retrieved from the one-time password list 126 assigned to theclient device 106. The user certificates 123 can already exist or themanagement component 139 can request that the management service 133generate new user certificates 123 to be provided to the managementcomponent 139.

In response to receiving the request, the management service 133 candetermine whether the request is authentic. First, the managementservice 133 can determine whether the request received from themanagement component 139 was received at the URL provided by themanagement service 133. If the request used a different URL (e.g. theURL http://www.example.com/certrequest/123456 instead of the URLhttp://www.example.com/abcdefg), then the management service 133 candetermine that the request is invalid. Second, the management service133 can determine whether the one-time password provided by themanagement component 139 as part of the request is correct. An incorrectone-time password could indicate that the request was intercepted and isbeing resent (i.e. a replay attack) by a third-party to gainunauthorized access to the requested user certificate 123. Third, themanagement service 133 can determine whether the unique deviceidentifier 149 provided to the client device 106 matches the uniquedevice identifier 149 included in the request. If the unique deviceidentifier 149 provided by the management component 139 does not matchthe unique device identifier 149 currently linked to the client device106, the request may be invalid.

If the request is valid, the management service 133 provides therequested user certificates 123 to the management component 139. Theuser certificates 123 may be encrypted with the public key of thepublic/private key pair 146 of the client device 106 in order tosecurely transmit the requested user certificates 123. The usercertificates may also be signed with the RA signing certificate 119 inorder for the management component 139 to verify that the usercertificates 123 are genuine.

Referring next to FIG. 2, shown is a flowchart that provides one exampleof the operation of a portion of the management service 133. As analternative, the flowchart of FIG. 2 can be viewed as depicting anexample of elements of a method implemented in the computing environment103.

Beginning with step 203, the management service 133 can send a URL and aunique device identifier 149 to the management component 139. The URLmay specify an address at which the management component 139 can requestone or more user certificates 123. The URL may also indicate additionalfields where specific information, such as the unique device identifier149, can be included in any request made by the management component139.

Proceeding to step 206, the management service 133 can send the CA rootcertificate 116 and the RA signing certificate 119 to the client device.The certificates can be sent in response to a request from themanagement component 139 for the certificates. The certificates can, insome examples, be sent via an encrypted channel, such as a connectionsecured using the transport layer security (TLS) protocol.

Moving on to step 209, the management service 133 can send a list ofoperations supported by the certificate authority 136. The list ofsupported operations can include, for example, types of encryptionalgorithms (e.g. AES-128, AES-192, AES-256, TwoFish, 3DES, or otheralgorithms) and types of cryptographic hash algorithms (e.g. SHA-512,SHA-256, md5, or other algorithms).

Referring next to step 213, the management service 133 can decrypt acertificate signing request (CSR) received from the management component139. The CSR can be encrypted by the management component 139 using thepubic key specified by the CA root certificate 116. The CSR can also besigned by the private key in the public/private key pair 146 of theclient device 106.

Proceeding next to step 216, the management service 133 can validate theCSR. The management service 133 can, for example, determine whether theCSR was sent to the URL provided to the management component 139previously at step 203. The management service 133 can also, forexample, determine whether the unique device identifier 149 previouslysent to the management component 139 was included with the CSR. If theCSR was sent to a different URL or was not accompanied by the uniquedevice identifier 149, the management service 133 can determine that theCSR is invalid. In instances where the CSR included a one-time passwordfor additional security, the management service 133 can query the devicetable 129 to determine if the one-time password is included in aone-time password list 126 linked to the unique device identifier 149.In addition, if the CSR was signed with a private other than the privatekey included in the public/private key pair 146 of the client device106, the management service 133 can determine that the CSR is invalid.

Assuming that the CSR is determined to be valid, the process continuesto step 219. Here, the management service 133 can send the CSR to thecertificate authority 136 in order to retrieve the requested usercertificates 123. Referring next to step 223, the management service 133can receive the requested user certificates 123 from the certificateauthority 136.

Proceeding next to step 226, the management service 133 can delete theunique device identifier 149 from the device table 129. This removes thelink between the unique device identifier 149 and the client device 106as well as any corresponding user certificates 123 or one-time passwordlists 126. By deleting the unique device identifier 149, replay attackswhere a third-party intercepts and resends the CSR are neutralizedbecause the resent CSR would contain a unique device identifier 149 thatis no longer in use.

Moving on to step 229, the management service 133 can encrypt and signthe user certificate 123. The user certificate 123 can be encrypted withthe public key of the public/private key pair 146 of the client device106. The user certificate can also be signed with the signing keyspecified by the RA signing certificate 119.

Referring next to step 233, the management service 133 can send theencrypted and signed user certificate 123 to the management component139. In some instances, the user certificate 123 can be sent over asecure channel, such as a connection secured with TLS. However, this isnot required because the user certificate 123 was previously encryptedat step 229. Execution of the process subsequently ends.

Referring next to FIG. 3, shown is a flowchart that provides one exampleof the operation of a portion of the management component 139. As analternative, the flowchart of FIG. 3 can be viewed as depicting anexample of elements of a method implemented in the computing environment103.

Beginning with step 303, the management component 139 can generate aCSR. The CSR can include a one-time password selected from a one-timepassword list 126 and include a unique device identifier 149 previouslyprovided by the management service 133. However, in some instances, theone-time password and the unique device identifier 149 may be providedseparately from the CSR.

Proceeding to step 306, the management component 139 can generate apublic/private key-pair 146. Generating a public/private key pair 146specific for requesting a user certificate 123 can provide forwardsecrecy for similar transactions. Even if the public/private key pair146 used to retrieve the user certificate 123 is compromised ordiscovered, separate requests for user certificates 123 remain securebecause of their use of separate public/private key pairs 146. However,in some instances, the public/private key pair 146 may be preexistingand used for multiple transactions.

Moving on to step 309, the management component 139 can request the CAroot certificate 116 and the RA signing certificate 119. The CA rootcertificate can be requested so that the CSR can be encrypted with thepublic key specified in the CA root certificate. The RA signingcertificate 119 can be requested so that user certificates 123 receivedfrom the management service 133 can be verified.

Referring next to step 313, the management component 139 can request thecapabilities of the CA authority 136. The capabilities can be requestedso that the appropriate cryptographic algorithms are used when sendingthe CSR to the management service 133.

Proceeding to step 316, the management component 139 can encrypt the CSRwith the public key specified in the CA root certificate 116 and signthe encrypted CSR with the private key in the public/private key pair146 of the client device 106.

Moving on to step 319, the management component 139 can send theencrypted CSR to the management service 133. The CSR can be sent to theURL previously received from the management service 133. In someinstances, the unique device identifier 149 assigned to the clientdevice 106 or a one-time password selected from the one-time passwordlist 126 on the client device 106 are included in the URL.

Referring next to step 323, the management component 139 can decrypt andinstall the user certificates 123 it receives from the managementservice 133. Execution of the process subsequently ends.

Referring next to FIG. 4, shown is a sequence diagram that provides anexample illustration of the interaction between the management service133 and the management component 139 as outlined previously in FIG. 2and FIG. 3. As illustrated, each step previously described in FIG. 2 andFIG. 3 is shown in relation to the other steps to provide an example ofthe communication that occurs between the management service 133 and themanagement component 139.

To begin at step 403, the management service 133 can send a URL and aunique device identifier 149 to the management component 139. The URLmay specify an address at which the management component 139 can requestone or more user certificates 123. The URL may also indicate additionalfields where specific information, such as the unique device identifier149, can be included in any request made by the management component139.

Proceeding next to step 406, the management component 139 can generate aCSR. The CSR can include a one-time password selected from a one-timepassword list 126 and include a unique device identifier 149 previouslyprovided by the management service 133. However, in some instances, theone-time password and the unique device identifier 149 may be providedseparately from the CSR.

Moving on to step 409, the management component 139 can generate apublic/private key-pair 146. Generating a public/private key pair 146specific for requesting a user certificate 123 can provide forwardsecrecy for similar transactions. Even if the public/private key pair146 used to retrieve the user certificate 123 is compromised ordiscovered, separate requests for user certificates 123 remain securebecause of their use of separate public/private key pairs 146. However,in some instances, the public/private key pair 146 may be preexistingand used for multiple transactions.

Referring next to step 413, the management component 139 can request theCA root certificate 116 and the RA signing certificate 119. The CA rootcertificate can be requested so that the CSR can be encrypted with thepublic key specified in the CA root certificate. The RA signingcertificate 119 can be requested so that user certificates 123 receivedfrom the management service 133 can be verified.

Proceeding next to step 416, the management service 133 can send the CAroot certificate 116 and the RA signing certificate 119 to the clientdevice 106. The certificates can be sent in response to a request fromthe management component 139 for the certificates. The certificates can,in some examples, be sent via an encrypted channel, such as a connectionsecured using the transport layer security (TLS) protocol.

Moving on to step 419, the management component 139 can request thecapabilities of the CA authority 136. The capabilities can be requestedso that the appropriate cryptographic algorithms are used when sendingthe CSR to the management service 133.

Referring next to step 423, the management service 133 can send a listof operations supported by the certificate authority 136. The list ofsupported operations can include, for example, types of encryptionalgorithms (e.g. AES-128, AES-192, AES-256, TwoFish, 3DES, or otheralgorithms) and types of cryptographic hash algorithms (e.g. SHA-512,SHA-256, md5, or other algorithms).

Proceeding next to step 426, the management component 139 can encryptthe CSR with the public key specified in the CA root certificate 116 andsign the encrypted CSR with the private key in the public/private keypair 146 of the client device 106.

Moving on step 429, the management component 139 can send the encryptedCSR to the management service 133. The CSR can be sent to the URLpreviously received from the management service 133. In some instances,the unique device identifier 149 assigned to the client device 106 or aone-time password selected from the one-time password list 126 on theclient device 106 are included in the URL.

Referring next to step 433, the management service 133 can decrypt acertificate signing request (CSR) received from the management component139. The CSR can be encrypted by the management component 139 using thepubic key specified by the CA root certificate 116. The CSR can also besigned by the private key in the public/private key pair 146 of theclient device 106.

Proceeding next to step 436, the management service 133 can validate theCSR. The management service 133 can, for example, determine whether theCSR was sent to the URL provided to the management component 139previously at step 403. The management service 133 can also, forexample, determine whether the unique device identifier 149 previouslysent to the management component 139 was included with the CSR. If theCSR was sent to a different URL or was not accompanied by the uniquedevice identifier 149, the management service 133 can determine that theCSR is invalid. In instances where the CSR included a one-time passwordfor additional security, the management service 133 can query the devicetable 129 to determine if the one-time password is included in aone-time password list 126 linked to the unique device identifier 149.In addition, if the CSR was signed with a private other than the privatekey included in the public/private key pair 146 of the client device106, the management service 133 can determine that the CSR is invalid.

Moving on to step 439, the management service 133 can delete the uniquedevice identifier 149 from the device table 129. This removes the linkbetween the unique device identifier 149 and the client device 106 aswell as any corresponding user certificates 123 or one-time passwordlists 126. By deleting the unique device identifier 149, replay attackswhere a third-party intercepts and resends the CSR are neutralizedbecause the resent CSR would contain a unique device identifier 149 thatis no longer in use.

Referring next to step 443, the management service 133 can encrypt andsign the user certificate 123. The user certificate 123 can be encryptedwith the public key of the public/private key pair 146 of the clientdevice 106. The user certificate can also be signed with the signing keyspecified by the RA signing certificate 119.

Proceeding next to step 446, the management service 133 can send theencrypted and signed user certificate 123 to the management component139. In some instances, the user certificate 123 can be sent over asecure channel, such as a connection secured with TLS. However, this isnot required because the user certificate 123 was previously encryptedat step 426.

Moving on to step 449, the management component 139 can decrypt andinstall the user certificates 123 it receives from the managementservice 133. Execution of the process subsequently ends.

The flowcharts of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show an example of the functionalityand operation of implementations of components described herein. Thecomponents described herein can be embodied in hardware, software, or acombination of hardware and software. If embodied in software, eachelement can represent a module of code or a portion of code thatincludes program instructions to implement the specified logicalfunction(s). The program instructions can be embodied in the form ofsource code that includes human-readable statements written in aprogramming language or machine code that includes machine instructionsrecognizable by a suitable execution system, such as a processor in acomputer system or other system. If embodied in hardware, each elementcan represent a circuit or a number of interconnected circuits thatimplement the specified logical function(s).

Although the flowcharts of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show a specific order ofexecution, it is understood that the order of execution can differ fromthat which is shown. The order of execution of two or more elements canbe switched relative to the order shown. Also, two or more elementsshown in succession can be executed concurrently or with partialconcurrence. Further, in some examples, one or more of the elementsshown in the flowcharts can be skipped or omitted. In addition, anynumber of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messagesmight be added to the logical flow described herein, for purposes ofenhanced utility, accounting, performance measurement, ortroubleshooting aid. It is understood that all such variations arewithin the scope of the present disclosure.

The computers within the computing environment 103, the client device106, or other components described herein can each include at least oneprocessing circuit. Such a processing circuit can include one or moreprocessors and one or more storage devices that are coupled to a localinterface. The local interface can include a data bus with anaccompanying address/control bus or any other suitable bus structure.The one or more storage devices for a processing circuit can store dataor components that are executable by the one or processors of theprocessing circuit. Also, a data store, such as the data store 113 andthe client data store 143, can be stored in the one or more storagedevices.

The management service 133, the certificate authority 136, themanagement component 139, and other components described herein can beembodied in the form of hardware, as software components that areexecutable by hardware, or as a combination of software and hardware. Ifembodied as hardware, the components described herein can be implementedas a circuit or state machine that employs any suitable hardwaretechnology. Such hardware technology can include one or moremicroprocessors, discrete logic circuits having logic gates forimplementing various logic functions upon an application of one or moredata signals, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) havingappropriate logic gates, programmable logic devices (e.g.,field-programmable gate array (FPGAs), and complex programmable logicdevices (CPLDs)).

Also, one or more or more of the components described herein thatincludes software or program instructions can be embodied in anynon-transitory computer-readable medium for use by or in connection withan instruction execution system such as a processor in a computer systemor other system. Such a computer-readable medium can contain, store, ormaintain the software or program instructions for use by or inconnection with the instruction execution system.

The computer-readable medium can include physical media, such as,magnetic, optical, semiconductor, or other suitable media. Examples of asuitable computer-readable media include, but are not limited to,solid-state drives, magnetic drives, flash memory. Further, any logic orcomponent described herein can be implemented and structured in avariety of ways. One or more components described can be implemented asmodules or components of a single application. Further, one or morecomponents described herein can be executed in one computing device orby using multiple computing devices.

It is emphasized that the above-described examples of the presentdisclosure are merely examples of implementations to set forth for aclear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variationsand modifications can be made to the above-described examples withoutdeparting substantially from the spirit and principles of thedisclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to beincluded herein within the scope of this disclosure.

Therefore, the following is claimed:
 1. A system, comprising: acomputing device comprising a processor and a memory; and an applicationstored in the memory of the computing device that, when executed by theprocessor of the computing device, causes the computing device to atleast: send a uniform resource locator (URL) and a one-time password toa client device, wherein the URL represents an address from which theclient device requests a user certificate with the one-time password andthe URL comprises a unique identifier for the client device; in responseto a request from the client device for a certificate for a registrationauthority, send the certificate for the registration authority to theclient device, wherein the certificate for a registration authoritycomprises a first public key and a first private key; decrypt acertificate signing request (CSR) received from the client device at theURL, wherein the CSR is encrypted with the first public key; validatethe CSR based at least in part on the URL and the one-time password sentto the client device; in response to a determination that the CSR isvalid, send the user certificate to the client device; and delete theunique identifier from the memory of the computing device.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein the application, when executed by the processor ofthe computing device, further causes the computing device to at leastrequest the user certificate from a certificate authority.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the application, when executed by the processor ofthe computing device, further causes the computing device to at least:encrypt the user certificate with a second public key provided by theclient device; and sign the user certificate with the first private key.4. The system of claim 1, wherein validation of the CSR is further basedat least in part on whether the unique identifier is included in the URLat which the CSR is received.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein theapplication, when executed by the processor of the computing device,further causes the computing device to at least send a list of supportedoperations to the client device.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein thelist of supported operations specifies a type of encryption algorithm ora type of cryptographic hash algorithm.
 7. The system of claim 5,wherein the user certificate is sent to the client device through anetwork connection protected by a version of the transport layersecurity (TLS) protocol.
 8. A method, comprising: sending a uniformresource locator (URL) and a one-time password to a client device,wherein the URL represents an address from which the client devicerequests a user certificate with the one-time password and the URLcomprises a unique identifier for the client device; in response to arequest from the client device for a certificate for a registrationauthority, sending the certificate for the registration authority to theclient device, wherein the certificate for a registration authoritycomprises a first public key and a first private key; decrypting acertificate signing request (CSR) received from the client device at theURL, wherein the CSR is encrypted with the first public key; validatingthe CSR based at least in part on the URL and the one-time password sentto the client device; in response to determining that the CSR is valid,sending the user certificate to the client device; and deleting theunique identifier from a memory of the computing device.
 9. The methodof claim 1, further comprising requesting the user certificate from acertificate authority.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:encrypting the user certificate with a second public key provided by theclient device; and signing the user certificate with the first privatekey.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user certificate is sent tothe client device through a network connection protected by a version ofthe transport layer security (TLS) protocol.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein validating the CSR is further based at least in part on whetherthe unique identifier is included in the URL at which the CSR isreceived.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a listof supported operations to the client device.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the list of supported operations specifies a type ofencryption algorithm or a type of cryptographic hash algorithm.
 15. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of computerinstructions executable by a computing device, the plurality of computerinstructions being configured to cause the computing device to at least:send a uniform resource locator (URL) and a one-time password to aclient device, wherein the URL represents an address from which theclient device requests a user certificate with the one-time password andthe URL comprises a unique identifier for the client device; in responseto a request from the client device for a certificate for a registrationauthority, send the certificate for the registration authority to theclient device, wherein the certificate for a registration authoritycomprises a first public key and a first private key; decrypt acertificate signing request (CSR) received from the client device at theURL, wherein the CSR is encrypted with the first public key; validatethe CSR based at least in part on the URL and the one-time password sentto the client device; in response to a determination that the CSR isvalid, send the user certificate to the client device; and delete theunique identifier from the memory of the computing device.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein theplurality of computer instructions are further configured to cause thecomputing device to at least request the user certificate from acertificate authority.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 15, wherein the plurality of computer instructions are furtherconfigured to cause the computing device to at least: encrypt the usercertificate with a second public key provided by the client device; andsign the user certificate with the first private key.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein validationof the CSR is further based at least in part on whether the uniqueidentifier is included in the URL at which the CSR is received.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein theplurality of computer instructions are further configured to cause thecomputing device to at least send a list of supported operations to theclient device.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim19, wherein the list of supported operations specifies a type ofencryption algorithm or a type of cryptographic hash algorithm.